Company news briefs
Stephens
Logging was interviewed recently by Dewey Lansing,
a research assistant at the Cascade Forest Research
Center. Mr.
Lansing is a co-worker of Brittney Stephens and is currently
pursuing a bachelors
degree in forest science at Pacific Cascade University. General
manager Brian Stephens offered a brief history of the Stephens
Logging company and the currently active jobsites in the video,
which will be available online soon.
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Brian
Stephens
was recently honored at a local logging symposium in
Astoria, Oregon. Members of the unofficial group NW Loggers
United gathered for their annual potluck and information
exchange on August 21-22, 2009, during which Stephens Logging
was showcased and awarded the 'premiere level family run operation
award' in Oregon and general manager Brian Stephens was honored
with the 'best boss award' on a plaque made from a large slice of
old growth Douglas Fir. When asked about his success, Brian
answered that "it's all a matter of taking care of your guys.
Some of my crew have been in the logging business for 40 years,
and some are fresh out of high school. Each is an important and
valued member of the team and you've got to treat them that
way."
Stephens logging
currently operates primarily in the Tillamook and Clatsop counties
of Oregon. It also has a long term relationship with the Cascade
Forest Research Center in the Tillamook Forest of the Oregon
Coast Range. Stephens Logging is a family owned and operated
company located in Vernonia, Oregon and is one of the few
companies in the logging industry to use solar power when
available.
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Stephens
Logging has acquired the Peterson Horizontal Grinder,
a transportable hammer mill chipper/grinder powered by twin 300-horsepower electric motors. This
grinder can be easily towed to the job site as a single unit
and then set up for operation within less than an hour. Rated for
over-the-road travel, it does not require a separate flatbed
trailer - this saves both us and our customers time and money.
Particularly useful for large clearing operations where there is a
lot of slash and brush to deal with. It is a much more
environmentally-friendly option than old-style burn piles.
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A land
use sharing agreement has been negotiated between Stephens
logging and the Cascade
Forest Research Center to allow temporary right-of-travel
through CFRC land in order to more effectively gain access to
certain Stephens Logging contract sites.. CFRC has worked with Stephens Logging
on a number of previous Forest Management Protocols and this
newest agreement is an extension of that cooperation. The agreement
allows Stephens Logging to engage in a variety of timber thinning
and brush removal projects beyond the facility's borders and into parts
of the surrounding forest.
Representatives from
the Westhammer Foundation, which holds the deed to a number
of nearby land tracks, assisted in the approval of this permit.
The Westhammer Foundation is the key financier of the Cascade Forest
Research Center, which is located on private land near the Trask
River in Tillamook County.
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Freak
windstorm temporarily halts mill production inside
the Stephens Logging mill when a relatively calm and
clear day quickly turned into an unanticipated thunder storm
accompanied by some unusually strong wind gusts. The solar array
was hit by a large amount of wind-blown debris, which caused
Shop Manager Bill Frederick to call a temporary halt in
operations until the damage (if any) to the panels could be
assessed. Fortunately the panels were unharmed, but the process
did require a complete shut-down and re-start cycle resulting in
a two-hour delay.
While the mill could
have switched to the Pacific Electric feed and continued
operations, owner Doug Stephens agreed that "Given the
circumstances, it's better to be safe than sorry. Bill had the
crew respond quickly and we were able to make up any lost time
the following day."
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Stephens Logging acquires
a bid for 500 acres of thinning work on private Tillamook County
property. The land is located in a remote area with uneven
terrain that will make progress slow.
A nearby subsidence
depression owned by the Corts Foundation Trust and referred by
the locals as "Sunken Valley", has been uncooperative
in attempts to gain road access, so the company will be approaching
the property from the east, using roads that pass partially
through the Cascade Forest
Research Center facility. Stephens Logging and the CFRC enjoy a
longstanding relationship and Stevens Logging will work hard to
ensure that any travel through CFRC property results in minimal
impact.
